April 26, 2015I am reevaluating how I can make this website more clean. Maybe " what's up" and " upcoming event" section will have to be a blog instead.

Anyway, I am preparing for the upcoming mini-concert program with Danish Saxophonist Stefan Baur, in which we will include contemporary, romantic, and classical music. Please go to " upcoming events" to check out the program.

So I will be presenting world premier of Toke Odin's Maskine in less than 24 hours, and I will also play for Xenakis' entire rebonds for the very first time. Half of the instruments have been moved to the 5th floor of Axelborg today.

It has been very challenging for me physically to meet the demands for the program. However, I enjoy very much to discover what I can do- to make impossible possible and even easy. Initially, I thought there were really many polyrhythms that are not possible to play. A few months passed, I see that I can potentially play all of them, if I give enough time for my body to integrate( for tomorrow 3 patterns of polyrhythms have to be simplified, but you will not likely to discover it:)

Now 12 against 9 against 8, 12 against 3 aginst 5, 8 against 7 against5 against 4 against 3 against 2 are not only possible to play, but also enjoyable!

It was not at all a smooth process- it is very challenging to play 20 mins non-stop polyrhythms on metals, and it was sometimes painful ( maybe not so uncommon for percussionists). However, instead of being annoyed about it and forcing the movements through anyway, I have learned to be a good friend with it. The existence of pain is there to tell me" Ying-Hsueh, you've got to change the way you play. You are using too much effort," Pain is also very quickly gone when my body/ brain recognize a new pattern of movement in ease. The body is so incredibly intelligent.

It feels very unknown what will happen tomorrow. I will rest now and I very much look forward.

Ying-Hsueh, in Copenhagen

March 25, 2014

2 weeks left...The instruments are 99 percent ready. I am working on endurance and connecting all the polyrhythm into a unity.

March 8, 2014

I am preparing intensively for the world premiere of " Maskine" by Toke Odin, which will take place on April 8th ( see upcoming events) :

The set up, consisting 14 metals formerly used for machines, is 87 percent ready ( still lacking 2 metals hanging for the foot pedal and minor adjustments).

It has taken a long time for composer Toke Odin ( who is also the instrument builder for this piece) to take off sharp edges and the buzzy noises from the metals. The sounds are amazing -some of the big metals sounds like church bells, only more raw and " dirty".

This set-up is an art work itself depicting the core idea of the music.

This is probably the most difficult piece I have ever played ( more than Xenakis' Psappha!) as it is 20 minutes of variations of polyrhythms ( sometimes 6 voices together, with 4 mallets and both feet) without any breaks.

However, if played well, it is very effective- I am working on the endurance and many difficult polyrhythms patterns.

Ying-Hsueh, Copenhagen

Jan 11, 2014 At the moment I am making this very website, and doing mental practice for Toke Odin's " Maskine" ( machine), while waiting for the instruments being constructed by the composer. I commissioned this piece in 2010( ! ), and it will be premiered in spring 2014.

The commission happened because of an informal talk we had about the ideas of transferring a mechanical system into sounds. I expressed my old obsession about manifesting a picture of different sizes of gears moving in different speed into a percussion work, but I couldn't find ways to notate it. Funnily enough, Toke also had the same interest and was ready to manifest the idea. Who had the idea first? It's not important.

A brief note from the composer:

The piece is for 14 pieces of metal with varying pitch. It is a piece about how to transform a mechanical system into a musical system. Here is a drawing of the inner workings ("the form") of the piece:

For the piece, I will construct an instrument out of old pieces of metal, which in former times have been used as part of the same kind of machinery as the piece itself is depicting in music." ---Toke Odin

Please go to Toke Odin's website for detailed information about " Maskine", and to check out this multi-faceted composer, who is also a photographer and much more.